


It's Only Finger Lengths That I See

by allisonmartined



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-21
Updated: 2012-05-21
Packaged: 2017-11-05 18:37:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/409679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonmartined/pseuds/allisonmartined
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A vaguely 1800's AU.  Arthur and Morgana are scandalously (according to their father) unmarried.  They really couldn't care less about that though.  This is a story about Merlin, Morgana, and a rose garden basically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Only Finger Lengths That I See

_Let me do that_ , Gwen is saying, lifting her hair from her fingers, and twisting and pinning it until it resembles something elegant.  Morgana sighs at her own incompetence and Gwen grins, placing her chin on her Lady’s shoulder.  _You’re the best, Gwen_ , she says, glancing at her through the mirror _.  Yes, well, that’s what they tell me._   Morgana laughs, her eyes shining.

Arthur has brought Merlin Emrys to dinner again.  And their father has invited a suitor for each of his two children.  A girl with blonde hair, a soft face, and pursed lips sits across from Arthur watching.  _Morgana, my darling_ , Uther roars excitedly and Morgana has to force herself to smile.  Not once has he called her _darling_ when not in company.  _Father_ , she greets with a minimally forced smile. 

Someone is being introduced to her, a Lord Leon, she thinks, but Arthur’s retelling a story of their childhood and her mind gets tangled in the details _.  It’s very nice to meet you_ , she thinks she says and smiles quickly before joining the rest of the room at the dinner table.  _And so my dear sister turned to me and declared that she would now for the foreseeable future be a boy,_ Arthur laughs and Morgana rolls her eyes.  _Well, I just didn’t see the point of dresses and lessons at the time,_ Morgana says a little proudly _.  And now?_ A quiet voice asks, and she realizes that it is Merlin.  She turns to him, a slight curve of her lips, a smile dancing behind her eyes _, Necessary evils_.

_Merlin’s writing a book_ , Arthur says to no one in particular but she suspects it is to her.  She raises her eyebrows, _Oh?_   He sips from his glass of water and smiles into the glass.  _Well, trying at least.  Your brother has a way of exaggerating truths._   She smiles, biting her lip, _Oh, don’t I know it._

They ignore the suitors and she knows that it’s partly her fault but it is partly Arthur’s too.  _You’re just going to have to keep us forever, father_ , she teases _.  You’re going to kill him,_ Arthur whispers, laughter caught in his voice.  She grips his hand in hers _, Don’t go soft on me, Pendragon._  He smirks, _Wouldn’t dream of it my Lady._

+++

She supposes it happens like this. 

It’s summer and the air is hot and it slithers around her skin, stifling her.  Uther has gone away, leaving Arthur as Lord of the manner and he is positively letting it go to his head.  As expected. 

She is walking in the garden with the two of them, Merlin and Arthur, Arthur looking like the summer itself and Merlin with his pale skin and dark hair looking quite out of place with the roses.  It’s that peculiarity of him that draws her eyes to his face over and over again.  She’s peculiar too. 

Somewhere between the roses and the tulips and peculiar, Arthur has disappeared and it is just Merlin meandering behind her at a comfortable distance.

_Do you like the flowers?_ She asks, absently.  She sees him nod from the corner of her eye, and her lips curve into an easy smile. 

_They remind me of love,_ he says.

+++

She’s not sure how it happens exactly.  Doesn’t care exactly, doesn’t care at all.

But her hand is trailing along the shrubbery, the leaves tickling the tips of her fingers.  He touches her free hand, careful.  Lightly, so lightly she wouldn’t be sure it was there if she wasn’t looking down at his fingers slowly entwining with hers.

_Morgana_ , he says. A whisper, a question, she can’t remember.

Their bodies seem to gravitate towards one another.  And she knows she should stop this, she should hold her ground. But she can’t, she won’t.  It’s him and her and the flowers like love and she can’t bring herself to tear herself away.

It’s starts slowly, agonizing.  Her lips barely against hers and then his body lightly pressed against all of hers.  It’s like a fire, slowly building until all she can see is the brightest parts of him. 

+++

_Merlin_ , she gasps into his shoulder and he pushes against her, lifts her up so that her legs tangle around him, her back arching against the wall.  Her hair is falling gracelessly around her face and she knows that Gwen will give her hell for it, that she’ll _know_ , but she can’t bring herself to care with Merlin’s lips against her neck and his finger pushing bruises into her skin through the fabrics of her dress. 

She wants more of him, though, wants all of him everywhere.  She pulls at his clothes, various garments dropping to the ground like leaves from a tree.

He undoes her laces, his fingers too slow and he curses into her shoulder.  _I hate dresses_ , he growls.  _Necessary evil_ , she half laughs and half groans as he swipes his thumbs beneath her corset.

The dress eventually falls away and he guides her to the bed, kissing a trail between her breasts.

+++

All she can see are the brightest parts of him.


End file.
